In a recent online story, Time reported on the slow progress towards identifying new therapeutics and treatments for brain-related diseases.
The article featured 2003 Beeson Scholar Reisa Sperling’s comments on the US Government’s BRAIN Initiative. She stated that “It is important to note that the BRAIN Initiative is really focused on studying basic mechanisms of how the brain works, rather than identifying disease-specific alterations that are more directly translatable into [Alzheimer’s disease] clinical research,” and that she hopes “that there will be additional investment that will help us translate mechanistic research on normal brain function into understanding what goes wrong in the brain in early Alzheimer’s disease.”
Reisa Sperling, MD, is the Director, Center for Alzheimer's Research and Treatment & Co-Director, Neuroimaging Core, Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center & Professor of Neurology, at Harvard Medical School.
By supporting basic medical research into aging and its related diseases, including Alzheimer’s, AFAR’s programs help to fill the gaps left by government and corporate funding. Read more about our grant programs here.
